What happens on Halloween
by tessinciucy
Summary: Written for NCISLAMagazine Deeks Challenge. Deeks has to work on Halloween but as always things don't go as planned.


I really don't know where this story came from, it just came to me out of nowhere. I was not even sure whether to post it or not because I can't simply function properly following prompts, my mind is not good at following schemes. But here it is... please forgive me if it doesn't make any sense.

A big thanks to purecraziness for her hard job on my English. Mistakes are mine and mine only.

And usual disclaimers here. I don't own NCIS LA or any of its characters, I just play with them, for fun.

* * *

What happens on Halloween...

The man walked along the busy street, crashing against the people dressed up for the night. Halloween had never been his favorite festivity, but this year was special. This year Marty Deeks needed to celebrate. After everything that happened months ago, after the ordeal he went through... hell, after his abduction and subsequent torture, Deeks truly needed to do something with the team. He wanted to celebrate the fact that they were all safe and mostly that things were finally starting to go back to where they were used to be.

He was feeling better, every day he was getting closer to his goal. Every day he was getting closer to be the man he used to be, the Marty Deeks everyone knew. He was aware that he had to work hard to reach the final result, but he was confident that things were headed in the right direction.

So when Sam told everyone that Michelle wanted to throw a little party at their house after their kids had gone trick-or-treating, Deeks had enthusiastically accepted the invitation. The cop genuinely liked Sam's kids and it seemed that in the last few months, the ex-Seal had started to show him more respect, had started to make an attempt at getting to know him, in spite of their differences. Obviously the fact that the Detective had saved Sam's and Michelle's life risking his own, had something to do with it, but he couldn't complain about it.

Deeks appreciated the big man's effort and going to the party was his way to show this appreciation.

Too bad that Bates had other plans and had requested his undercover skills for the night. It was supposed to be a quick operation, not lasting any more than three or four days, a week at most, but unfortunately it was going to take place over Halloween and right when he was getting the first symptoms of a flu.

Hetty was not very happy about the whole operation and had voiced her concern to the Chief of Police, but even her influence couldn't do anything about it.

Callen and Sam had looked at him with a deep frown on their faces as he was explaining every detail of the mission and as soon as he left to go to the precinct to discuss the last preparations with Bates, they went directly to Ops to ask the Wonder Twins to support him, backstopping his alias and doing some logistics.

Kensi was the most reluctant to let him go. She was probably the one who could read him better than anyone else and the one who was aware of the fact that, in spite of his reassurances, he was still suffering from the aftermath of his capture. She was the only one who knew about the nightmares that once in a while, still plagued him and that didn't allow him to have good night of sleep.

"Kensi, I'm good." He had told her, trying to reassure her, but obviously it didn't work. The cold stance she gave him back was a clear sign of her deep worry. Sadly she knew that there was nothing that they could do, that he needed to go, that it was his job and that his loyalty would never allow him to say no, even if the operation might be risky.

"No you're not," she had simply replied, with a sad voice. "But I know that there's nothing I can say that can make you change your mind. Just promise you'll be careful."

A little smile had curled his lips hearing his badass partner's worry in her words. "Don't worry, Fern. You know I'll be back..." and with that he had left the bullpen, closing the heavy door of the Mission behind him, leaving Marty Deeks behind him and welcoming Jay Hendricks, ambitious street thug, ready to do anything to get what he wanted. And what he wanted was a position in one of the most important organizations of the whole West LA, led by one of the worst son of a bitches of the area, Carlo Catalano.

And here he was, walking side by side with one of Catalano's sons, along a crowded street in one of the busiest nights of the whole year. The operation was not very complicated. Jay Hendricks was known in the Catalano's family since he had worked for them five years ago before he'd been arrested during a LAPD raid and been sentenced for six years. Deeks just needed to be reacquainted with his old contacts, tell them that he was out on parole and that he wanted to go back in business. Once he was in, he needed to find the dealer who was selling a big amount of drugs, a new kind of ecstasy to be more precise, to the Catalanos, drugs that could be sold in pills but even under liquid form, drugs that had already cost the lives of seventeen people.

"It's good to have you back, Jay." Paul Catalano told him. He was the oldest of Carlo's sons and the one who had always been closer to Jay, Deeks' alias. He was different from his two younger brothers, Sal and Vinnie, who were exactly like their father, merciless and cold blooded killers. Paul tried to use his gun only when it was needed to protect himself or the ones he cared about. He liked poetry and was crazy in love with his wife and son. He was part of the organization only because of the family, because he was loyal to his father, not because he truly wanted to have anything to do with it.

Deeks placed the hood of his sweatshirt over his head to fight a cold shiver and smiled. "Yes, it's good to be back, but mostly it's good to be out of jail."

"You've been an idiot. If you called us, we would have found you a better lawyer and you wouldn't have spent a single day in that place. You know we're family." Paul patted him on his back, giving him a warm glance. He truly meant what he said.

The cop felt a wave of guilt rushing through his veins. He hated lying to this man, well actually he hated lying, even if it was to keep his cover intact. Mostly he hated the moment when the people he had lied to found out about it. He couldn't stand their disappointment or the look they gave him, like he was a traitor, the worst of the bastards. "Yeah, probably, but I was afraid that the cops could link me to you and screw your organization," he said, taking a long deep breath.

"And we appreciate it. My father truly appreciates this kind of loyalty." Catalano looked at him with his deep brown eyes, piercing his soul.

"Gah, I hate Halloween…" Deeks' words came out of nowhere, maybe because he needed to get away from that kind of conversation. He braced himself as he coughed loudly. A new shiver made his body tremble.

"Why, Halloween is such a nice day. You can pretend to be anyone you want… and kids love it. Danny is so excited about it. You should see his face, Jay… it'll warm your heart." Catalano's expression lightened up as he talked about his four years old son. "Halloween is a good day… come on, Jay. Tell me you never liked the idea of dressing up and going out chasing monsters when you were a kid!"

The cop's face darkened. He put his hands in the pockets of his jeans and his eyes looked at his feet.

Paul sensed that something was wrong with the other man, so he stopped walking and grabbed Jay's elbow. "Hey, what's up? You know you can talk to me…"

Deeks knew that he was moving through a dangerous territory, that he shouldn't mix facts of his personal life with his undercover persona, but it was hard, especially when emotions hit him so hard. "It's nothing," he tried to deflect the man's attention away, but it didn't work at all.

"It's not nothing! Don't lie to me Jay, I can see it in your eyes." Catalano insisted looking for eye contact with the blond man standing uncomfortably in front of him.

"It's not that fun chasing monsters when you have one inside your house." The cop murmured, hating himself for his inability to stop himself. He was supposed to be a professional, he was one of the best at what he did, but there were moments in which hiding behind an alias was impossible because everyone could see that he was lying. And this one was one of them. Paul could see that he was hiding something and wouldn't stop until he found out about it, so Deeks could only tell him a half lie or a half truth.

"What do you mean? What…" Catalano was confused, his expression puzzled.

"Let's just say that my father was not the typical loving parent who supported and loved his son in every way he could… actually he was quite the opposite. He was a real son of a bitch who liked to beat his wife and son just for fun, just to release his frustrations." A sad smile curved Deeks' lips as he spoke.

Paul was shocked. His father might not be a perfect and an honest citizen, but he always loved his family, treated his wife and sons with great respect and showed them his unconditioned love in every way possible. He couldn't even imagine what kind of childhood Jay had to face. "Jay, I… I am sorry. I shouldn't have asked."

The cop smirked gratefully. "It's ok, it was a long time ago."

"Is he… your father, I mean… is he still alive?" Paul felt a sense of protectiveness towards this man who had always been a good friend to him. For the first time in his life, he felt like he could kill the sick bastard who hurt his friend.

"Nah, he died years ago." Deeks gave Catalano an evil grin, playing the part of the hard and tough thug he pretended to be. "And if he was still alive, I would take care of him better than I did when I was a kid!"

The other man looked at him skeptically, narrowing his eyes, but before he could add anything else, the cop preceded him. "So, tell me about what we're doing here. Your father said we were going to meet this guy, but he didn't tell me anything about him. Can you give me some further info about him? I'd like to know who we're dealing with before meeting him!" Deeks wished that Paul could reveal the name and the exact location of the mysterious man they were going to meet. He had a microphone hidden in a button of his jacket and his back-up was listening to everything through it. "How am I supposed to protect you if I don't know anything about the man I should protect you from?"

"This is what I like about you Jay, you leave nothing to chance," smiled Paul, putting a hand on the other man's shoulder. "Name is Craig Weller. He is new in town, but he came with good recommendations from my dad's close friend William Clunsky. But mostly Weller came with a great amount of this new kind of drug that could make us very rich if distributed in large scale throughout the city of Los Angeles. Dad wants us to meet with him, to get a sample of the drug and to make a good deal with him. Don't worry Jay, it's a piece of cake!"

"Oh well, you said it even that time, five years ago… and it cost me five years of my life!" Ironically remarked the cop.

"Don't be so negative, Jay. We'll be home in less than a couple of hours. You will be able to have fun with one of the women who die at your feet and I will be able to go trick-or-treating with my son!"

Deeks sighed heavily. He truly hoped that in less than two hours he will be able to wrap this case up, forget about the Catalanos and attend the party at Sam's house. He closed his eyes trying to focus on the operation first, being distracted could be a big mistake and he truly didn't want to make one that might cost his life. "Where does this meeting take place?"

"Two blocks from here in an old, abandoned toys' shop. Come on, Jay, don't be so edgy. Everything will go great," Paul told him trying to dissipate the tension that was lingering in the air.

Deeks chuckled, shaking his head. "Maybe you're right, it's just this freaking Halloween atmosphere that's driving me crazy. I hate all of this…" He gestured to the people surrounding them in the most improbable costumes, shouting and laughing. He truly was feeling a sense of uneasiness engulfing him, probably triggered by the recent conversation he had with Catalano about his father. He silently cursed his old man who still had this kind of power on him, even after such a long time, after so many years.

"Don't be such a baby Jay or I will be forced to take you treat-or-treating to get you in Halloween mood." Paul's fat laugh warmed the cop's heart.

It was normal to be so paranoid, but he should collect himself if he wanted to get the job done without further complications. "Oh please, no! Ok, ok, you win. I'll calm down, promise."

They walked for another twenty minutes when they finally arrived at their destination. Exchanging a grave look, they stepped through the back door of the old shop and walked inside. They were welcomed by three heavy armed men, who frisked them and took away their guns. Deeks tensed when another man, with white hair and cold green eyes, wearing a dark suit showed up.

"Welcome to my humble abode," he started checking the two guns that had been taken away from his two guests and that one of his men gave him. "Please, don't be so shy, come closer. I like to look into the eyes of the men I'm making a deal with."

"And you like to be slightly over-powered and over-numbered," Paul remarked, moving a step forward followed by Deeks, like a shadow. "We're here to do some business, not for a gunfight, so maybe you could give us our guns back."

The cop looked at the older man in front of him with a mischievous grin. "Oh come on, don't tell me you're afraid of two men, this is not a good sign of confidence."

Weller cast a cold stance at the blond detective who didn't even blink, clearly not afraid of him.

Deeks hoped that his body didn't betray him right now and didn't start shivering. He didn't need the drug dealer to see him as weak; it was not the right moment.

"Better be safe than sorry." The white haired man replied dryly. "So, Mr. Catalano, I take it that your father was very interested in my proposition. I just hope that he agreed with the terms of payment."

"He is eager to be in business with you, but as you can imagine, he would like to see a sample of your goods." Paul opened the case he was carrying, showing its content to the other man who, pleased, snapped his fingers calling for one of his goons.

This was the moment the cop was waiting for, now he had only to send a sign to his back-up calling for an intervention. He was trying to find the way to say the code word when a big commotion exploded.

"LAPD freeze!" A series of different voices shouted as men in tactical gear rushed inside.

"Son of a bitch. You betrayed me!" Weller yelled angrily, pointing his gun at Paul Catalano while gunfire erupted all around.

Deeks' eyes saw the weapon aiming at Paul and without thinking, he launched himself against the other man, trying to push him to the ground, but he was not fast enough. A couple of gunshots were fired before tear gas engulfed everything and everyone around him.

"Jay!" Paul shouted, coughing and trying to get up. "Jay, are you ok?"

"Yeah… kinda…" Pain erupted in Deeks' side and when he put a hand to check on it, he saw the blood seeping through his fingers. "We need to get out of here," he muttered, trying to get up, failing miserably.

"Jay!" Catalano called him, holding him. "Damn it, you've been shot!"

"I'm good, come… out of here now…" the Detective, felt very weak, but he knew he had to move or things might get complicated. His eyelids were getting heavier and in spite of all of his efforts, he couldn't keep them open.

"Come on, Jay… come on… don't you dare die on me after saving my life… Jay… Jay!" Paul's voice was the last thing he remembered before the cop blacked out.

* * *

Deeks woke up and found himself in a dark place. His side was burning and he could feel the fever raging through his body, making him shiver violently.

"Paul?" He called feebly, but his voice was almost inaudible even to his own ears. No one answered him.

He waited for his eyes to be accustomed to the darkness, then he took a look at his surroundings. He was alone, sitting on a dusty floor in an empty room, probably a section of a big warehouse, with his back leaning against a crumbling wall.

"Paul, where are you?" He asked again, but this time a noise resounded sinister in the silence. It was a noise that he will never forget for the rest of his life, a noise that brought him back in another warehouse, a few months ago. A drill.

"If… if this is a Halloween joke, you better stop immediately, Paul. It's not funny at all." The cop tried to get up, but the pain in his side was simply too much. "Aaarrrgghh!" He screamed, mostly out of frustration.

"You have always been so weak, Marty. A pathetic, scared kid who cried for nothing… ahahah." The evil laugh simply chilled his bones. It was impossible, this couldn't be real… this must be a kind of a dream, of a nightmare his feverish mind was creating for him.

"You're not real… you're dead!" Deeks yelled angrily, pushing his back against the wall even more, if it was possible. He could feel a presence in front of him, a cold breeze that was taking possession of his body, shaking him from the inside.

The sound of the drill became even louder and panic spread through every cell of his body as the presence moved closer. "No, please… leave me alone… please…"

"I knew he was the weak one," another voice reached his ears, a thick accented one.

"NO! Please…" the cop begged, pressing his body against the wall, bringing his legs to his chest in a self-protection gesture, but that only increased the agony coming from his side.

"I have always known when you need a lesson, Marty. I tried to straighten you, to sharpen you, but you were just a whiny baby, calling for his mum. You didn't change it… you're just as weak as when you were a child. You deserve what's coming to you…"

"No, I'm not weak… not weak… I am a cop, a good one. I am a good person, nothing like you. I turned out good… not weak… not weak…" Deeks babbled unconsciously, putting his hands over his ears to protect them from the sound of the drill that was getting too loud and too close.

"No, Marty, you're wrong. You've always been nothing and you will always be nothing. You've got no backbone, no spine. I saw you, I thought I taught you well… I thought you learnt to man up, but I was wrong. You spent weeks crying over yourself, licking your wounds… because you're useless… just a useless spoiled brat as you have always been. Maybe it's time I teach you another lesson… maybe it's time for you to learn it in the toughest way."

Tears rolled down the Detective's face because the chilling sound of the drill was deafening. He was simply terrified. The cold breeze was engulfing him now and the presence was all over him, the noise was too close.

"No, please, no… no… noooo!" An excruciating pain exploded in his mouth. He tried to resist, but when he tasted the metallic flavour of blood inside his mouth and when he sensed the pressure of the drill on his teeth, it was simply too much. He screamed, as he never did, welcoming the darkness that engulfed him a few minutes later.

* * *

"Aaarrrggghh!" Deeks woke up with a start, screaming desperately, putting himself on a sitting position.

A stabbing pain on his side blinded him and he felt someone pushing him back. His eyes blinked repeatedly realizing that he was not in the warehouse anymore. The smell of antiseptic filled his nostrils as a familiar figure appeared in front of him.

"Calm down, Mr. Deeks. Just calm down and breath…"

"Hetty?" He asked puzzled, not understanding how he ended up here.

"Yes, Mr. Deeks, it's me. Lay down and try to relax, you're safe at the hospital and you're going to be ok. You were lucky that Mr. Catalano called 911 when he did or you wouldn't be here talking to me," the Operations Manager spoke quietly, looking at him with a gentle expression that couldn't hide her relief though.

"But… how… what happened? I…"

"LAPD made a terrible mistake not waiting for your signal before jumping into action. You and Paul Catalano found yourself in a complicated position and Craig Weller thought that you set him up. You ended up wounded and I don't know how Catalano managed to get you out of that toys shop. He took you to an abandoned warehouse and called an ambulance, when the paramedics found you, you were unconscious and in bad shape, but fortunately still alive." Hetty explained seeing the tension hunching the cop's shoulders.

Deeks' eyes shot open at the mention of the warehouse and panic filled his expression. "He… he was there. I heard him. He wanted to hurt me…" He was getting very agitated and his heartbeat started to become very erratic.

The diminutive woman tried to calm him down, but it didn't seem to work at all. He was getting more stressed and his breathing more labored. "Please, calm down, this is not doing you any good."

The cop grabbed Hetty's arm, staring at her with terrified blue eyes. "You told me he was dead, but I saw him… he was there, with that bloody drill. He… hurt me. You lied to me… you lied to me!" His back arched right when the doctors rushed inside the room.

"What happened?" The head surgeon asked.

"He woke up very agitated and when he remembered what happened to him he became even more agitated."

"I need to sedate him, before he could tear his stitches apart or hurt himself." The doctor picked up a syringe from the medical tray and injected it in the IV connected to Deeks' hand.

"Hetty, why did you lie to me? You said he was dead… you told me he was dead, that he couldn't hurt me anymore…" His voice became feebler and feebler, his eyes closed and soon he fell into oblivion.

Hetty was shaken by his words, by his vehemence. The doctor had told her that he was already sick with a flu, even before Weller shot him. His temperature was very high and that had probably caused him some hallucinations. In his delirious state he probably saw the person who had hurt him the most in his whole life, the person he probably wanted to forget more than anything. But no matter what the doctor said, she couldn't take the cop's expression away from her mind, the panic and the fear in his blue eyes had been heartbreaking.

She got out of the hospital room to get a little bit of fresh air when Nell joined her.

"Hetty, hey, how's Deeks' doing?" The analyst wondered noticing the concerned expression of her boss's face.

"He's resting now, but he was very agitated. The doctor needed to sedate him before he could hurt himself. He still has a high fever, probably making him very uncomfortable." She smiled sweetly, moving her attention from a blank spot in the air to Nell's face. "But he will make it. He just needs to rest."

"I am sure he will." The petite analyst handed Hetty a folder. "These are the tapes you requested, the ones of the inside of the warehouse where Deeks was found. There's nothing out of ordinary. You can see Catalano taking him there and then leave to get help. No one came inside until the moment the paramedics found him. And there's the medical report of the ER in the folder, as you asked me."

"Thank you Nell. You can go get some rest now. I will go back to keep Mr. Deeks company. I am sure that Miss Blye will be here soon, even if I ordered to go home and get some rest."

"Please, Hetty, tell Deeks that we're thinking about him," and with that Nell turned on his heels and walked away.

Hetty took a long breath and walked back into the cop's room. She sat in the chair next to the bed and opened the folder. She observed every picture extrapolated from the surveillance video, pictures that confirmed what Nell told her just a few minutes ago; no one went in or out the warehouse besides Mr. Deeks, Paul Catalano and the paramedics. The Operations Manager cast a concerned glance at the young man lying on the bed and then read the report of the ER. Her eyes froze when she read one single line, something that she hadn't notice before.

_The patient presented multiple dental trauma probably caused by a dental drill that resulted in a heavy bleeding._

Hetty cast a shocked glance to Deeks. "What the bloody happened over there, Mr. Deeks?"

The end... _or not_?


End file.
